


Cat's Out of the Bag

by wonseokie



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, accidental pet acquisition, xiuhan being parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-03-13 21:36:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18949120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonseokie/pseuds/wonseokie
Summary: "It was an accident, I swear."Or: in which Luhan comes home with a cat, only to find his husband and their child unimpressed by his antics.written for Rock A Bye FestRB009





	Cat's Out of the Bag

**Author's Note:**

> ### Mod Notes
> 
> This work is written for the 2019 Rock A Bye Fic Fest: Round 1. We hope you enjoy! Make sure to give our writers all the love that they deserve~ Authors will be revealed on June 25!  
>  **Prompt:** RB009  
>  **Word count:** 2398  
>  **Rating:** General  
>  **Pairing:** Minseok/Lu Han  
>  **Characters:** Kim Minseok, Lu Han, Lu Meihua (Original Child Character)  
>  **Side pairing/s:** N/A  
>  **Side pairing/s:** SO MUCH FLUFF
> 
> ### Author's Notes
> 
> HELLO HELLO I LOVED WRITING THIS FIC!!!! I hope you enjoy!!!!

“It was an  _ accident _ , I swear.”

 

Minseok’s unimpressed face remains on his face despite Lu Han’s repeated pleas. The small kitten meows softly where it’s nestled in Lu Han’s arms, almost as if trying to plead for Minseok’s understanding.

 

He  _ hopes _ Minseok understands. Lu Han turns his attention to Meihua, whose unimpressed face and posture scarily imitates that of her father’s. She’s staring at Lu Han the way Minseok is, as if he hasn’t used his  _ brain _ and  _ rescued a kitten from the rain _ . “Xiao Mei,” he begins gently, only to be interrupted by Minseok stepping in front of their daughter.

 

“You are  _ not _ guilting my daughter into adopting a kitten, Lu Han,” he says, his eyes sharp and face now impassive.

 

“She’s my daughter, too!” Lu Han whines. He takes out the kitten from its nest out of Lu Han’s--now wet, sorry for the added laundry, Minseok--jacket, dropping the clothing on the floor to hold the fragile little thing up to his face. “And look at her!” he exclaims. “Meihua has been asking for a sister, anway. Why not practice?”

 

“That’s different!” Minseok snaps, because Meihua meeps from behind him. She  _ has _ been asking them for a sibling; a brother or sister doesn’t matter, but she’s  _ seven _ and she’s still their  _ baby _ ; she wants a new baby so that her fathers and uncles and aunts stop coddling her for being the youngest in the family.

 

“Seokkie,” Lu Han whines. “I can’t very well just leave her in the streets. And don’t tell me to leave her at a shelter, you  _ know _ how bad things are there.”

 

Of course Minseok does; he volunteers with their daughter once every week at the shelter down the block. “Meimei,” he begins, “can you go up to your room for a moment? I need to talk to Papa.”

 

Meihua whines in disappointment, but she leaves anyway when Minseok says  _ please _ . When she’s out of earshot, Minseok turns to Lu Han.

 

“Lu Han,” he says, “you work long hours. You’re a  _ doctor _ , and you’re on call basically 24/7.  _ You _ won’t have to take care of a cat, because I will. I have to take care of Meihua, the house, your  _ family _ when they come to visit--the reason we agreed on not having any more kids was because of the stress it put on me, remember?”

 

“I--I know that,” Lu Han says. A lie, really; because he wasn’t  _ thinking _ , Minseok was right. He hadn’t been thinking when he saw the small thing huddled against a small ledge, the only thing keeping it from floodwater. It was thin and sickly and will probably die if it isn’t taken care of, and that’s all Lu Han saw: someone who needs help. Minseok was spot-on in implying he hadn’t thought of  _ who _ will be helping the small kitten full-time. “I’m sorry, babe.”

 

Minseok sighs, coming closer to where Lu Han had pulled the kitten to his chest to keep it warm. It was still shivering. “Oh, poor thing,” Minseok says. The kitten is white, and thin, and probably hasn’t eaten anything in days. “We don’t even have anything we can feed it, Han. Suppose I agreed; how are we going to take care of it?”

 

As always, his husband is right. Minseok is  _ always  _ right; why does he  _ never _ listen? “I—I wasn’t really… thinking. I’m sorry, Minseok.”

 

“Come on,” Minseok replies. “Let’s go down to the shelter, hmm? I’ll get Meihua ready. Keep her warm.”

 

“Okay,” Lu han says, miserable. Minseok pats his hand as he turns to leave to get their daughter ready for the impromptu trip. He rubs the kitten’s head with a finger, smiling when she pushes her head up against him, asking for more. If—when—they don’t bring her home, he hopes that she gets adopted by a loving family who will give her all the cuddles and love she deserves.

 

She actually reminds him of his cat, who he’d left back in China—Zhu was his name, and he was most spoiled little thing he has ever seen. Just like Minseok, his mother had been against him bringing home a cat—they’d gone to the store for a  _ fish _ , after all. And yet she’d been the one who disagreed the most when he decided to leave China to marry Minseok, saying,  _ My eldest son is leaving home, let me have my youngest stay in the nest _ !

 

He smiles. “You deserve  _ nothing _ but the best cuddles, the best rubs, the best treats,” he murmurs to the cat. “Yes, yes you do, don’t you? Hmm? You do!”

 

“Let’s go,” Minseok says suddenly, and Lu Han jumps. He scowls when he sees the amused glimmer in Minseok’s eyes, rolling his own and turning to leave again. “Get a coat,” his husband reminds, but he’s the one who hands Lu Han a coat as they close the door, anyway.

 

“Is she sick?” Meihua asks as they skip down the stairs, peering over Lu Han’s shoulder to get a clearer look at the kitten. Lu Han moves his head so that she can see, smiling when she coos at the little thing. “Is that why we’re going to the shelter?”

 

“She might be, honey,” Minseok tells her gently, taking a hold of her hand as they cross the street. “We want to know and make sure she gets all the help she needs, right?”

 

“Right!” Meihua answers. “She’s really cute. I hope she isn’t sick.”

 

“So do I,” Lu Han says, slowing down his pace so that he and Minseok could walk together with their baby between them. “How was your day out with your cousins today?”

 

The rest of their walk to the shelter is filled with Meihua’s chatter about her day with her older cousins, talking about their games and their conversations and basically everything about her life that Lu Han misses because of his job. Not for the first time, he’s contemplating leaving the hospital to work at a private practice; he’s just missing out on  _ so much _ , not only in his daughter’s life but in his husband’s as well.

 

_ When was the last time we even had babe time _ ?

 

“And, dad, did you know that Uncle Chanyeol got a new dog? He was small and his name is Toben! Yanyan loves him!”

 

_ In my friends’ lives, too, apparently _ . That’s news to him. He usually knows everything that happens in his friends’ lives; not even knowing that his childhood friend had gotten a dog goes to show just how out of the loop he’s been lately. “Really? And what do  _ you _ think of the dog, Xiao Mei?”

 

“I think Toben is cute, but he’s  _ really _ small, so we couldn’t hold him. Did you know that when puppies are born, they’re blind, Papa?”

 

“I did not know that. Thank you for telling me, Xiao Mei, you’re so smart!”

 

Meihua responds by punching him in the thigh, a blush high on her cheeks. Ah, so that hasn’t changed; she still finds it embarrassing when anyone, especially her doctor dad, compliments her. He’s conflicted whether he wants that to change or not; on one hand, it’s adorable how humble his daughter is, and on the other hand, she deserves all the praise that she gets. She’s the best girl in the  _ world _ .

 

“Why’d you punch me,” he whines at his daughter, playfully swaying so he nudges at her. “That  _ hurts _ , Xiao Mei! Papa is hurt!”

 

“Stop being overdramatic,” Meihua huffs, but she laughs and latches on to his coat, anyway. Ah, there’s his spunky girl. She’s the most amazing girl there is. He looks at his husband, who is smiling fondly at the both of them. And she’s being raised by the most amazing man, one Lu Han might never work to deserve.

 

“I love you,” he sings to his daughter, but he’s looking at Minseok, who smiles and mouths the words back.

 

“You’re cheesy,” Meihua complains. “Why are you so  _ cheesy _ , Papa?”

 

“I thought you loved cheese?” Lu Han asks.

 

“I do. Just not the metaphorical kind.”

 

Lu Han blinks. “Wow,” he says, looking at his husband. “What did you feed this girl? When did she grow a brain?”

 

“Oh my  _ god,  _ Papa! That’s not fair!”

 

Lu Han just laughs at Meihua’s scandalized face, thankful that he has the  _ best  _ family in the world. He really hopes that the kitten in his arms get adopted by a good family; one who can love her like she deserves to be loved.

 

“Hey, hey, Xiao Mei, do you think we can convince dad to let us get ice cream before dinner?”

 

“Lu Han!”

 

*

 

They bring her home.

 

“You’re awfully convincing when you want to be,” Minseok told him at the shelter, when the vet asked them if they were going to simply foster or go ahead and adopt the little kitten after his—turns out to be  _ male _ —checkup.

 

Lu Han pouted. “I thought Baozi convinced you,” he said, looking at the little cat once more nestled in his arms—now cleaned, checked up, and bottle fed a bit of formula.

 

“You already named him, Lu Han,” Minseok teased, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he carried their haul: formula, a few bottles, some antiparasitic spray, and a few toys. Baozi was going to be another spoiled cat, Lu Han was already sure of it.

 

“Why’d you name him  _ dumpling _ ,” Meihua asked, a hint of disdain characteristic of Minseok in her voice. “Of all the things, Papa, really?”

 

Lu han rolled his eyes at his daughter, following her out of the door of the shelter after they’d said their goodbyes to the staff. “And what would you have suggested we name him, Cloud?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“I am  _ not _ naming our first cat  _ Cloud _ , Xiao Mei, what kind of cliche is that?”

 

“You  _ rescued _ the cat from the  _ rain _ , Papa. That already is cliche, like the anime bad boy who turns out to have a soft spot for animals and gives his umbrella to a poor cat in the rain except you bring the cat home instead.”

 

Lu Han blinked. “You—You said that without breathing.”

 

“I don’t need air when I’m trying to make a point.”

 

Lu Han looked at his daughter, and then looked up at his husband. “Minnie,” he said, seriously, “You are raising a terrifying girl.”

 

All Minseok did was smile.

 

Now they’ve settled home—Minseok had gone straight to the kitchen to start dinner, asking Meihua to help her Papa get the kitten settled first and then help him with their food afterwards. They’d unpacked everything that they’d gotten from the shelter, and Lu Han had brought the bottles to the kitchen and even washed them himself, putting them up in the rack after soaking them in hot water.

 

He watches his husband and daughter flit around each other, preparing their food, now that Baozi is dozing off against the heat pad they keep in the living room. Meihua is getting bigger, growing older; their earlier conversation was proof of that. She’s so  _ smart _ , so  _ helpful _ , and Lu Han despairs at the thought that he must have contributed to her early maturity, by not being there for his husband, so much that their child, their  _ baby _ , had to grow up faster to be the other adult at home.

 

He knew, rationally, that they were doing their kid and society a favor by chore-training Meihua at an early age, teaching her about responsibility and how to take care of herself and others. And yet, the parent part of him, the part completely wrapped around his daughter’s fingers, wishes that she’d stay young forever—she’d stay his baby. That she’d remain the cute, bubbly little girl they have now, who still asks for hugs and kisses and tucking into bed.

 

They only have a few years, if not months, left.

 

Meihua had come to them on accident—the reason behind Lu Han’s sudden migration, really. She was a spunky little thing even right after she was born—refusing to be held by anyone other than her parents, fussing until  _ both _ of them were holding and cuddling her, keeping her warm from a world that’s too loud, too cold, too bright, too  _ much _ .

 

She’d gotten sick, really fast, really bad, a few month after she turned two. Minseok had been inconsolable; Lu Han could barely work properly, leaving his station to get to NICU to watch his daughter and hold his husband. The head of their department had given him paid leave to be with his family. Lu Han remembers it so well: their little girl, looking even smaller in her incubator, wires and cords around her body, keeping her alive.

 

They weren’t even allowed to touch her until the third week, for fear that a small cold might make her get worse. Minseok had sobbed against Lu Han’s chest when he was finally able to slip his hand into the incubator to hold their baby’s small fingers, other hand clutched around Lu Han’s shirt.

 

And yet, she’d pulled through. He knew then that Meihua was the strongest kid he has ever met. Against all odds, she’d beat the illness and recovered—with zero long-term health problems. That day, the nurses had called Lu Han’s personal phone and told them that Meihua was out of the woods, that she was, miraculously, almost as good as the baby she was before she’d gotten sick.

 

They’d rushed to the hospital that morning, crying and laughing to themselves as they were finally able to hold their baby girl in their arms again. It was one of the happiest moments of Lu Han’s life: holding his child and husband to his chest, watching them coo at each other and smile in happiness.

 

Meihua is his biggest, and most important treasure. She always will be. And yet—

 

And yet, he wouldn’t be  _ anywhere _ , not without Minseok, not without the love of his life, who had stayed by him and who had stayed with him, despite the sleepless nights, the fights, the absenteeism, even.

 

There’s a small meow from below him, and he looks down, laughing as he finally notices Baozi trying to climb his pant leg. He scoops him up to his arms, rubbing his nose against the cat’s and smiling. “And you’ll be another treasure in this family of treasures, won’t you, Baozi,” he murmurs. “Yeah, yeah you would.”

 

Yeah, this is his family, and he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> ### Author's Notes
> 
> A small list of people to thank:
> 
>   * m and e, for your support and for believing in me throughout this fic!
>   * To you, dear reader, for giving this fic a chance~
>   * The mods, for holding this fest for us writers and general lovers of kidfic! I hope you all enjoyed!!!
> 



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